The Easter Bunny Is Late

Your mother asked me to send you a chocolate unicorn for Easter. I had to point out to her that, even though you love chocolate, you were not likely to want to eat a chocolate unicorn. And besides, where I would find such a creature at this late date, I’m sure I don’t know. Be that as it may, I hope the egg enclosed is still intact and not melted. It is especially made from “scratch” in a real kitchen. At any rate, I’m sure it’s tasty anyway.

No, my dear, you are too old for such fairy tales as to think your mother may have made it. Think carefully–need I say more?

All the best to you this season, this DYYD SUL* first after the first full moon following ALBAN EILIR**. All the spring time blessings to you at Beltaine, un Mai, 1985.

The Easter Bunny

*Welsh for Sunday
**Welsh for the Spring Equinox

Still not too old for fairy tales–to read or to write.

Did your parents read you fairy tales? Do you have a favorite? Do you think you’re too old for that sort of thing?

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8 thoughts on “The Easter Bunny Is Late”

My mom did read us a few. I read many more on my own when it wasn’t bedtime. I read a broad variety of things as a child. Now I’m much more narrow -minded,-focused and pickier. I don’t read too many things unless I either know it’s good (which means I’ve already read it and probably remember it pretty well) or have it on good authority that it’s good (and being a working pro [ha!], who’s opinion should I trust?).

Ha! Reading HC Andersen right now! LOL Actually, no one ever read to me when I was little, but I did read tons of books myself, including Grimm’s, Andersen’s, Aesop’s, and tons of others like Greek and Roman mythology.

Then there were stories about Patrick Henry, Nathan Hale, George Washington Carver, and Crispus Attucks.

I don’t like how modern society has changed so many fairy tales and songs. The bough breaks, the wolf was killed (3 little pigs) and the little mermaid died and did not live happily ever after. That was part of the lesson, I think, that life doesn’t always have a happy ending and it matters that we make smart choices and learn from the mistakes of others.

I don’t think I had a favorite though – at least, nothing jumps out at me at the moment. And I will probably still enjoy reading them until I die. 🙂

Okay, now you just knew inserting some phrases in Welsh would get my attention.

I love that letter from your mom.

My parents never read to us much, if at all. (My first “favorite author,” discovered through a friend, was Dr. Seuss.) My awareness of fairy tales and such was therefore real limited, I’m pretty sure, until I got to college. What a strange realization. I remember my F&SF course professor blowing my mind with his analysis of “The Princess and the Frog” (old non-Disney version). He showed how the story had lasted as long as it had by describing a (fictional) “real world” whose events and settings — what he called “the body politic” — which mirrored closely the (non-fictional) world inside our heads (“the body psychic”).

Now, of course, I love stuff like 10th Kingdom and Inkheart for repurposing those old tales for our supposedly more sophisticated times.. while still bearing the same cargo, so to speak.

My mother inserted the Welsh. She loved it, too. But I certainly thought of you when I read the letter again after all these years.

It amazes me know how much my father read to me even though he was learning to read at the time. Reading to me was so hard for him and I had no idea. He read me dozens of fairy tales (only a few Disney versions). In college when a professor lectured about feminine imagery and whatnot in fairy tales, I was a little annoyed. I just loved the stories and didn’t care about the riding hood was red.

You’ll have to read Inkheart the novel. Very striking differences! And I wish they’d make a 10th Kingdom sequel.